Academic Integrity

Procedural Summary for Academic Integrity Violations

The procedures outlined below summarize the basic steps taken when in cases of academic integrity violations by graduate students. Please note that the university’s full policy and related procedures should be read on the Provost website.

1. The professor of the course completes the academic integrity violation form to report the incident to the Department Chair and Graduate Program Director.

2. The Chair or Director forwards the report and supporting documentation to the Dean of Graduate Studies.

3. If the grade in the course has brought the student’s overall GPA to below a 3.0, then the student will be placed on academic probation. The academic integrity violation and academic probation will be dealt with as separate matters.

4. When the Graduate Dean’s office receives the report of a violation from the department, the Dean issues a letter to the student informing him/her of the academic integrity violation and confirms whether it is a Class I or Class II violation. In the letter, the student is given two options: 1) to accept responsibility for the violation or 2) to appeal. Copies of the letter are also sent to: the faculty member; the faculty member’s chair; the faculty member’s program director (if different); and the chair of the board of academic integrity.

5. The student receives this letter from the Dean and must either return it with a signature admitting responsibility within 5 business days, or notify the Graduate Dean that they plan to appeal. An appeal goes directly from the student to Dr. Craig Wheeland, the University’s Academic Integrity Officer.

6. If the Dean’s office receives the signed copy of the letter (i.e. the student accepts responsibility) or if the student does not reply within 5 business days, responsibility is assumed, and the Dean will send the student a letter specifying the steps to be followed, which typically are:

c) The student will meet with the Dean of Graduate Studies for a final interview to discuss their experience and reflect on it.

The Dean will send copies of the student's letter to all of the parties indicated above.

If the student admits the violation, but wishes to appeal the severity of the grade penalty, then the grade appeal procedure should be followed within the department.

About Villanova

Villanova University was founded in 1842 by the Order of St. Augustine. To this day, Villanova’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition is the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University’s six colleges.